In post #2, I had been rejected from taking a book to the Royal Family of Belgium. You may remember the light mist in the air in post #4 as I walked along the Limmat River carrying my
backpack, crossed the street stepping over the trolley rails running
down the middle and entered onto a cobble stone walkway in a seemingly
dingy section of the city which appeared to be a hotel district. At
several hotels, a young woman stood at the front door to welcome new
guests.
I did not find my hotel that night and returned to the train station to continue my onward journey as well as some needed sleep.
Why visit Avignon? I don't remember the exact motivation, but it was a learning experience on the cultural impact of historic events. On the train, I met a young German fellow who was sightseeing around Europe. He was going to visit Avignon and asked if I would like to join him. Of course, I could. After arriving at the station, we walked around the city carrying our packs. Late afternoon, we begin looking for a reasonable hotel for the night. We had been communicating in my limited German and his limited English, but neither of us spoke French. Thinking that many Europeans speak several languages, he asked the first hotel for available rooms. None available. The same response came at the second hotel, then the third. At the forth, I asked about rooms in English and turned to answer, in German, his question when the hotel clerk responded that they had no rooms. The fifth hotel clerk told us, basically, that they didn't have rooms for Germans.
I walked back to the train and continued on to Rome and Athens. He stayed in Avignon looking for a place to sleep.
Greece had captured my imagination as a location that could be planned similarly to New Zealand, i.e. travel with a small group via passenger van and visit historic and cultural sites. Language would be a major problem and I would need a Greek speaker to accompany us. I took the ferry from Brindisi, Italy to Igoumenitsa, Greece and bus to Athens to research my future Portrait of Greece for May 1978. Having learned my lesson in Avignon, I spoke English and found a rooftop room in the Plaka with a view of the Acropolis. One evening while dining on a Taverna patio, a fellow at the next table asked how I happened to be in Athens. During our evening conversation, I learned that George was a Classics Professor from Ohio State on a short visit to prepare for his sabbatical year in Greece. He spoke Greek. Would he be interested to travel around Greece with a small group of Americans in a passenger van finding hotels and restaurants as we went? Of course he would. We agreed that I would cover his apartment and travel expenses during our journey. I had found our guide, a van rental company and an accommodation Athens, so it was time to return home and find some travelers.
Sunset Magazine, "Things to Do" column, Portrait of Greece, May 1978. Fifteen requested more information and six deposits were received for a 28 day cultural tour with a Classics Professor and a driver who had never driven in Greece. It was a fantastic trip.
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I prepared excitedly for my departure, as if this journey had a mysterious significance. I had decided to change my mode of life. "Till now," I told myself, "you have only seen the shadow and been well content with it; now, I am going to lead you to the substance."
Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
I did not find my hotel that night and returned to the train station to continue my onward journey as well as some needed sleep.
Why visit Avignon? I don't remember the exact motivation, but it was a learning experience on the cultural impact of historic events. On the train, I met a young German fellow who was sightseeing around Europe. He was going to visit Avignon and asked if I would like to join him. Of course, I could. After arriving at the station, we walked around the city carrying our packs. Late afternoon, we begin looking for a reasonable hotel for the night. We had been communicating in my limited German and his limited English, but neither of us spoke French. Thinking that many Europeans speak several languages, he asked the first hotel for available rooms. None available. The same response came at the second hotel, then the third. At the forth, I asked about rooms in English and turned to answer, in German, his question when the hotel clerk responded that they had no rooms. The fifth hotel clerk told us, basically, that they didn't have rooms for Germans.
I walked back to the train and continued on to Rome and Athens. He stayed in Avignon looking for a place to sleep.
Greece had captured my imagination as a location that could be planned similarly to New Zealand, i.e. travel with a small group via passenger van and visit historic and cultural sites. Language would be a major problem and I would need a Greek speaker to accompany us. I took the ferry from Brindisi, Italy to Igoumenitsa, Greece and bus to Athens to research my future Portrait of Greece for May 1978. Having learned my lesson in Avignon, I spoke English and found a rooftop room in the Plaka with a view of the Acropolis. One evening while dining on a Taverna patio, a fellow at the next table asked how I happened to be in Athens. During our evening conversation, I learned that George was a Classics Professor from Ohio State on a short visit to prepare for his sabbatical year in Greece. He spoke Greek. Would he be interested to travel around Greece with a small group of Americans in a passenger van finding hotels and restaurants as we went? Of course he would. We agreed that I would cover his apartment and travel expenses during our journey. I had found our guide, a van rental company and an accommodation Athens, so it was time to return home and find some travelers.
Sunset Magazine, "Things to Do" column, Portrait of Greece, May 1978. Fifteen requested more information and six deposits were received for a 28 day cultural tour with a Classics Professor and a driver who had never driven in Greece. It was a fantastic trip.
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| Chania Fishermen Mending Nets (1978) |
I prepared excitedly for my departure, as if this journey had a mysterious significance. I had decided to change my mode of life. "Till now," I told myself, "you have only seen the shadow and been well content with it; now, I am going to lead you to the substance."
Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
